Some more night trains.
French night trains relaunched as government announces €800m investment | News | Railway Gazette International
Night Jet starts Paris<> Vienna service.
Départ du train de nuit Paris - Vienne - YouTube
Seems to me they could easily arrange 'phone orders' from passengers for particular times corresponding to required stops, and have ghost-kitchen or catered delivery waiting. Either eat at the 'couchette' or via timed reservation in the pub or snack seating.
Likely better than the microwaved schnitzel... not that that looked too bad.
Note the comment about how even the extended Stockholm service is above-the-rail "profitable" for private companies using the three state railways involved.
It only has a Pub Car (reservation) Stockholm to Malmo and a snack bar Malmo to Berlin.
https://www.snalltaget.se/en/berlin
End to end times 19:-- hours too long with at least some substantial food available.
That Berlin to Stockholm train looked like a nice ride except for the lack of a dining car for most of it.
Night train Berlin - Stockholm.
Snälltåget Night Train Berlin - Malmö - Stockholm in Couchette Sleeping Car (Nachtzug nach Schweden) - YouTube
Sure ought to be! Set up to do short-order virtual; several different proprietary lines made to proprietary standards in one facility; right integration with delivery-service specialists; catering know-how in many cases -- they might even be ideal as commissaries for onboard material to cut down on the amount of food stored for long duration or to replenish items that run short.
On a related note for LD trains here, perhaps out-sourcing food services to ghost kitchen is the answer?
https://www.eatthis.com/news-wendys-700-new-locations-ghost-kitchen/
blue streak 1Midnight trains based in Europe (not sure exactly where)
https://www.midnight-trains.com/
(Note free link to same newsletter that was sent via email service...)
Promotional press-release blast starting somewhere around second week of June, I think -- first trains to run around 2024.
It seems pretty clear that much if not most of the capital work to produce these trains will be in the interiors, which would be little if anything like those in any secondhand equipment they could safely afford. This is not a nostalgia service or a super-luxury service: it's billed (at present) at being price-competitive with air travel + boutique-hotel stay for the travel time. Perception of carbon neutrality considerably more important than real overall carbon savings, but you won't hear me bringing it up.
We have discussed this sort of 'rightsized' service and experience in American contexts a number of times. This promises to be an effort to watch closely... and perhaps to contract with, in future, a la Keolis, to outsource corridor or specialty sleeper service that is 'transportation' more than luxury experience or 'cruise train'.
I get the impression that this is only the first part of a longer discussion about practically sourcing equipment for a train service like this -- one of the parts that sets up and then dismisses "typical" arguments for earlier approaches. Next time we'll probably be treated to the problems of new car construction and its costs and delays, even when state or region subsidized. After that we'll get the difficulty of leasing equipment, especially with the cost and probably "identifiable brand identification" of the special interiors and amenities necessary to provide. (They say they're not giving the full story of how they expect to provide the 'right' sorts of train, but the principals are reasonably experienced in crowdfunding and I think we may presume they can arrange for what they need and not 'spend beyond their means' -- particularly spending on things that will not benefit reasonably early transition to profitability (or at least revenue net of all subsidized cost)...
Midnight trains based in Europe ( not sure exactly where ) has an article that has a section about problems getting rolling stock. They state that older stock is very hard to get that is in good condition. Some istory as well in another section.
Allegro ma non troppo (mailchi.mp)
Siemens going to build 20 more 7 car Nightjet trains for a total of 33 by 2025.
Austrian Federal Railways Orders Additional Night Trains from Siemens | Railway-News
#trains - Twitter Search / Twitter
The TEE 2.0 proposal has been placed. You may have to select translation. For reference 300 KPM = 186 MPH; 250 =155 MPH; 200 = 125 MPH.
Example --- TEE 1/2 mostly 125 MPH in Germany.
Section 2 is for day trains .. The first part showing short time implementations of day trains. ( 1-8 ). Then improvements that are presently under construction ( 9 -16 ). Then a list of proposed projects that will improve times even more.
Section 3 has the night train section starts at 21 - 36A. Covers 8 routes with possibility of extensions noted in Sect 2 of two routes. Report notes that sleeping car space is limited at present and requires more space per passenger and basically only one assignment for each route space.
Conclusion section --- show all possible connections ( called links ) both day and night. What is startling is the number of connections. Both connections to begining of each route and departing connections from route near end. Makes any Amtrak proposals seem child's play.
Noted are present day route times with notes of what reductions possible with present day construction projects. Note that the Paris station changing mess is not fully explored IMHO !
TEE 2.0 (bmvi.de)
More PR fluff advertizing future night train service France <> Italy.
Get your fill of la dolce vita (mailchi.mp)
More on the European overnight trains, this focusing on a French group. Again, climate change is the driving factor.
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/jun/22/new-network-of-european-sleeper-overnight-trains-planned
The house that I owned in Dallas is 68 years old. Last time I checked on it, which was about a month ago, it is still in pristine condition. My parents house in Altoona, which has turned over just once since they died, is 94 years old. My brother and I drive by the house at least once a year. It is in excellent condition.
I think they tend to use resources more carefully to begin with. Our pastor is a native German. He's said he was surprised with our construction techniques. Their housing is built to last. Ours is throwaway. He also has commented that it's illegal there to drink or eat while driving so no cupholders. I thought oh, that's why vw's skimped on those.
Germans really do recognize the necessity to ameliorate global warming. When were you last there? Contact with German friends and relatives? Read and listen to German media?
CMStPnP charlie hebdo Deutsche Welle's take on resurgence of overnight trains. Some on here won't like it because it is driven in part by folks wanting to ameliorate man-made global climate warming. Well, that is what they tell the reporter anyway. I think they have a market in this country as well without the global warming spiel. Also, I am not against forcing the airlines into reasonable routes. So for example the Chicago to Milwaukee flights? Is that really a good use of aircraft and flight space? How much faster is it to fly vs the rail option?
charlie hebdo Deutsche Welle's take on resurgence of overnight trains. Some on here won't like it because it is driven in part by folks wanting to ameliorate man-made global climate warming.
Well, that is what they tell the reporter anyway. I think they have a market in this country as well without the global warming spiel. Also, I am not against forcing the airlines into reasonable routes. So for example the Chicago to Milwaukee flights? Is that really a good use of aircraft and flight space? How much faster is it to fly vs the rail option?
Suspect that the airlines that do have flights between Chicago and Milwaukee are not competing for that particular route's traffic. Suspect they are using Milwaukee as a intermediate point on flights to destinations that are much further away.
On the day Air Florida flew into the 13th Street Bridge in DC. I took a TWA flight from BWI in Baltimore to DC National to connect with a commuter flight to Newport News. I was the only paying passenger on TWA's flight which was a Boeing 707 that was destined San Francisco.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
charlie hebdoDeutsche Welle's take on resurgence of overnight trains. Some on here won't like it because it is driven in part by folks wanting to ameliorate man-made global climate warming.
Deutsche Welle's take on resurgence of overnight trains. Some on here won't like it because it is driven in part by folks wanting to ameliorate man-made global climate warming.
https://www.dw.com/en/night-trains-make-a-comeback-across-europe/a-57878517
The night train wanna bees keep coming out of the woods. Here is a link long on fancy PR and very short on substance.
Midnight Trains - Our Story (midnight-trains.com)
Night trains proposed to Schiphol so passengers can take early flights out of the airport. Might be very inviting for trans Atlantic and trans Pacific flights ?
Arriva eyes night trains to Schiphol | News | Railway Gazette International
I'll be watching with great interest to see how the OBB/Siemens 'mini-suite' idea is implemented, supported, and patronized. That specifically includes the expenses and perhaps difficulties of turning the units effectively.
I still fail to understand why provision of 'breakfast' should be substantially more difficult than it was for most hotel chains here with 'free breakfasts' before the pandemic.
Special legislation is needed to address the issue of VAT differences... and subsequent payment to governments... by international accord, perhaps made specific for this type of train service. I'd at least argue that the advantages in prospective 'take rate' societally far outweigh the marginal revenue from the tax, although it might to be fair have to be extended to the unlikely provision of sleeper aircraft or buses on comparable routes.
Long article giving history and plans for new night train services in the EU. . This from IRJ Internation railway journal. Note may be paywalled.
Getting overnight travel back on track | International Railway Journal (railjournal.com)ri
In depth article in Guardian about UK to Europe planned sleeper service.
The dream ticket: sleeper trains could soon run from London to Europe’s cities | Rail transport | The Guardian
blue streak 1 Another night train for April 2022. Praha - Bussels and intermediate stations Night train to connect Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin and Praha | News | Railway Gazette International
Another night train for April 2022. Praha - Bussels and intermediate stations
Night train to connect Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin and Praha | News | Railway Gazette International
In competition with the first Belgian group as far as Berlin, but with a different schedule.
65: Thanks. Noted the change of requirements of each car's fire protection
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/11/the-dream-ticket-a-sleeper-train-to-europes-cities-may-soon-be-on-track
This is interesting- it looks like they might be going back to the original plan for the Chunnel.
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